


reverb

by ewagan



Series: Sportsfest 2018 [9]
Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 14:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15121202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ewagan/pseuds/ewagan
Summary: the way he says your name, like he’s certain you’ll hear him no matter what.





	reverb

**Author's Note:**

> a vague sort of hidarmari au but also, not quite? feel free to take it how you please.
> 
> TIME: meeting him once more  
> PLACE: a place from your childhood 
> 
> prompt [here](https://sportsfest.dreamwidth.org/7464.html?thread=526888#cmt526888)

_water, submergence._ you let the water fill your ears until you cannot hear anything, just the quiet shift of water as it hits the edges of the tub. everything is magnified in the water; like this you can hear again. or perhaps, you go back to how you used to be. suspended, in stasis.

_the sound of chimes._ you think you can hear them, swaying gently in the wind. but it could be your imagination, or memory. the same way you think you can hear his laughter. it makes you think of a summer from years ago, sitting with your grandmother as she tells you another story on the verandah while the both of you string beans for dinner.

_a laugh, high and ringing._ you’ve always been able to hear his voice for some reason, clearer than anyone else’s voice. the way he says your name, like he’s certain you’ll hear him no matter what. you’ve always been quiet, so you don’t call back, don’t say anything. you wait for him to find you again.

_water, fluctuation._ he comes back, red hair and cold eyes and you can't hear him anymore. you can't hear anymore, unless you sink in the water and let it fill your ears, until you can hear again. the ripple, the movement. the point of entry, the shift of water until you are both watching each other under the water. his mouth moves but you cannot hear. you want to be children again, when he was warm skin and warm laughter, where you could hear his voice, even through the water, calling you.

_the rustle of wind._ you know what sound a leaf makes when it hits the surface of water, a quiet sigh. you don't hear what makoto is saying, or nagisa's cheerful retort. instead you focus on what you can hear, the shift of water as you dive in, the muddled noises of someone calling your name through the water. you wonder if a cherry blossom might sound the same as it comes to rest on water.

_the sound of chimes, again._ the wind, the doorbell, the chime of a new message on your phone. perhaps you are only imagining it again. but it makes you think of starting points, of starting days, of moving instead of suspension, stasis, waiting.

_water, delineation, refraction._ you can trace all these invisible lines you've both drawn around yourselves, the ways you have used them to skew your perceptions. they separate you and pull you closer, looking for the place where the lines meet, where you can see him clearest. you know not to cross the boundaries, but you stand at edge of the lines he's drawn. if he cannot be brave, then you must, for the both of you. so you hold out your hand, and wait for him to take it.

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments and kudos appreciated. <3 you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ewagan)


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